Richard Lawson

Early life and career Born Rickey Lee Lawson in Loma Linda, California, Lawson was drafted into the United States Army and became a medic. He served 21 months in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and was wounded in action. They have one daughter, actress Bianca Lawson, born in 1979. Lawson also has a son named Ricky, born in 1992. On March 22, 1992, Lawson survived the USAir Flight 405 plane crash, after take-off from LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, New York City. During the summer of 2013, he began dating Tina Knowles, fashion designer and mother of singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. Lawson and Knowles had known each other for over 30 years, as she was the best friend of his late sister. As a result, Lawson stated that he had "always admired her from afar and up close too." The couple married on April 12, 2015. Knowles filed for divorce in July 2023, and it was finalized in 2024.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1971 Dirty Harry Homosexual 1973 Scream Blacula Scream Willis Daniels Fox Style Little Henry 1974 Sugar Hill Lt. Valentine Bogard Leroy Fisk 1975 Crossfire Officer Ken Dillard TV movie 1977 Audrey Rose Policeman #1 1978 Coming Home Pat 1979 Charleston James Harris TV movie The Jericho Mile R.C. Stiles TV movie Buffalo Soldiers Caleb Holiday TV movie The Main Event Hector Mantilla 1980 The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story Gene Davis TV movie 1982 Poltergeist Ryan Leadfoot Officer Venchek TV movie 1984 Streets of Fire Officer Ed Price 1985 Stick Cornell 1986 Under the Influence Dr. Duran TV movie Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI Adam Prentice TV movie 1989 The Forgotten Sergeant Frank 'Doc' McDermott TV movie Double Your Pleasure Dash TV movie 1997 Wag the Dog CIA Agent 1998 How Stella Got Her Groove Back Jack 1999 Justice Gus TV movie Jackie's Back Milkman Summers (Jackie's Ex-Husband #1) TV movie 2000 Mars and Beyond Mission Flight Director Maynard Nixon Short 2001 Blue Hill Avenue Uncle Rob 2003 Black Listed Agent Gordon Video Maniac Magee Mr. Beale TV movie Out of the Rain Donald 2004 Christmas at Water's Edge Mr. Turner TV movie 2005 Guess Who Marcus 2006 The Last Stand Winston 2007 I'm Through with White Girls James Evans 2008 Love for Sale Uncle Mac 2009 The Business of Show Special Thanks Short 2010 For Colored Girls Frank Massacre Rich Cannon 2015 Royal Family Thanksgiving Leighton Royal TV movie Royal Family Christmas Leighton Royal TV movie 2017 Searching for Neverland Joe Jackson TV movie 2019 From Zero to I Love You Ron Logsdon Always a Bridesmaid Carlton Blakeston Sr 2020 Old Dog Curtis Winters Short 2021 The Corner Store Marvin Short North Hollywood Adolf's Dad Not Alone Dr. James Clay A Holiday Chance Garvin 2024 Divorce in the Black Clarence 2025 Aftershock: The Nicole P Bell Story Al Sharpton

Television Year Title Role Notes 1973 Shaft Don Lewis Episode: "The Enforcers" Kojak 1st Suspect Episode: "One for the Morgue" 1974 Get Christie Love! Rick Allen Episode: "Fatal Image" 1975 The Streets of San Francisco Eddie Hill Episode: "Endgame" Medical Center Andy Willis Episode: "Survivors" 1976 Bert D'Angelo/Superstar Hutchins Episode: "The Brown Horse Connection" Most Wanted Carl Webster Episode: "Pilot" 1977 Police Woman Skeet Episode: "Once a Snitch" All in the Family Angry Black Man Episode: "Mike the Pacifist" The Fantastic Journey Barker Episode: "Funhouse" 1977–78 Hotel Story Main cast 1978 Good Times Raymond Episode: "I Had a Dream" Julie Farr, M.D. Bert Rollins Episode: "Old Friends" What Really Happened to the Class of '65? Lt. Sawyer Episode: "Reunion in Terror" 1981 The White Shadow David Mackey Episode: "Burnout" 1982 T. J. Hooker Officer David McNeil Episode: "The Protectors" Chicago Story Det. O.Z. Tate Main cast 1983 V Dr. Ben Taylor Miniseries Hardcastle and McCormick Kid Calico Episode: "The Boxer" 1984 Magnum, P.I. Gerald Calvin Episode: "Under World" 1985 St. Elsewhere The Messiah Episode: "Cheers" Remington Steele Monroe Henderson Episode: "Premium Steele" 1986 Comedy Factory Dr. Julius Pepper Episode: "The Faculty" 1986–87 Dynasty Nick Kimball Recurring cast: Season 7 1987 Amen Dr. Jonathan Wallace Episode: "Thelma's Birthday" 1988 CBS Summer Playhouse Nick Scott Episode: "Silent Whisper" Wiseguy Thurman McGill Episode: "Last of the True Believers" 227 Raymond Blake Episode: "A Yen for Lester" 1988–91 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Det. Nathaniel Hawthorne Recurring cast 1989 1st & Ten: The Championship Coleman King Episode: "Final Bow" & "Out of the Past" 1989–91 MacGyver Jesse Colton 3 episodes 1991 Father Dowling Mysteries Brad Whitfield Episode: "The Joyful Noise Mystery" The Cosby Show Mr. Bostic Episode: "Pam Applies to College" 1992–93 All My Children Lucas Barnes Regular cast 1993 Saved by the Bell: The New Class Judge Thurston Jones Episode: "Good-bye Megan" 1995 Picket Fences Dale "Sky" Betts Episode: "Bloodbrothers" 1996 Pandora's Clock Captain Daniel Robb Episode: "Episode #1.1 & 1.2" 1997 Good News Percy Shepperd Episode: "Show Me the Money: Part 1 & 2" Moesha Marlon James Episode: "Talk to the Town" 1998 The Parent 'Hood T.K.'s Father Episode: "Color Him Father" L.A. Doctors Gary Miller Episode: "The Code" 1999 Sister, Sister Victor Sims Recurring cast: season 6 Judging Amy Thomas Horne Episode: "An Impartial Bias" 2000 Family Law Chuck Episode: "One Mistake" 2001 JAG Sgt. Dan Craig Episode: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Touched by an Angel Nicholas Freeman Episode: "The Sign of the Dove" Soul Food Reverend Bobby Baxter Episode: "Games People Play" Strong Medicine Alton Clayborne Episode: "Systemic" The Bernie Mac Show Bishop Episode: "Saving Bernie Mac" 2002 The District Commander Richard Gray Episode: "Shades of Gray" & "Payback" For the People Clay Portman Episode: "Textbook Perfect" 2003 Half & Half Ben Episode: "The Big How the Ex Stole Christmas Episode" 2004 The Division LaBon Episode: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here" Dead Like Me William Garrett Episode: "Hurry" NYPD Blue Agent Wycoff Episode: "Divorce, Detective Style" 2005 E-Ring Episode: "Pilot" 2006 All of Us Luther Brody Episode: "Like Father, Like Son... Like Hell!" & "My Two Dads" 2008 Numb3rs Clay Porter, Sr. Episode: "End Game" 2011 Angry Boys Shwayne Senior Recurring cast 2013–16 Real Husbands of Hollywood Detective Smith Episode: "Hook, Lie & Sink Her" & "Hart in the Hood" 2015 Being Mary Jane Charles Episode: "Sparrow" 2016 Saints & Sinners Pastor Evan Johnson Episode: "Power Is Our Religion" 2017 Stitchers Admiral Decker Episode: "Out of the Shadows" & "Maternis" 2017–21 Grey's Anatomy Bill Pierce 3 episodes 2018 In Contempt Earl Sullivan Recurring cast 2019 Mixed-ish Lynwood Episode: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 2021 Partners in Rhyme Windell Episode: "F.O.E." 2022 The Ms. Pat Show Major Episode: "Parents Just Don't Understand" 2024–25 Beauty in Black Norman Series regular